


Be Enough

by Pixeled



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Control Issues, Fear, Hiding behind a mask, M/M, Married to work, Praise, Workaholic, coffee isn’t food, decaf might be the devil but it proves a point, mentions of veld, simple broken man, the wisdom of Reno the Great, trying to fill someone’s shoes, under the shadow of greatness, you have to take care of yourself before you take care of someone else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25131376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixeled/pseuds/Pixeled
Summary: Are we all in chains, trying to be enough?
Relationships: Reno/Tseng (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Be Enough

**Author's Note:**

> To “Lonely” by Nathan Wagner

Tseng was trying to get through his final report so he could go home, but his eyes kept unfocusing and his head kept nodding. Why was he so tired? He wasn’t working any harder than he usually did. True, he was constantly pushing the barriers of what his body could withstand in regards to how little he could subsist on food, how little he could get away with sleep, how much he could force himself to _do_ without a break.

He was the first in the office every day, the last to leave. He knew, perhaps, that one day it might catch up to him. He had been young when he became Director. The youngest yet. He was able to work crazy hours, go out into the field and work himself to the bone, return, do what Rufus requested, go back to doing paperwork. He could do whatever was needed as long as he had coffee and determination. He didn’t need to eat, he didn’t need to sleep.

But he was pushing thirty now. Maybe he had reached the end of that sort of life. He shook his head, dropped his pen to shake his hands, then he took up the pen again and stared in determination as he continued.

Just then a knock came at his door.

Hadn’t everyone left for the day? He’d dismissed every last Turk, collected their finished work, placed it into every organized category he’d created when he’d become Director. Order made him feel comfortable. Order made him feel in control. It could chase away thoughts of doubt—thoughts that he wasn’t good enough.

“Enter,” Tseng said.

“You really still here, Boss Man?” Reno asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s 11:30.”

“Yes,” Tseng said, trying to still focus on what he was doing. He was almost done. He could go home, sleep a few hours, come and do it all over again in the morning.

“The others went out after work. I wanted to invite you, but they’re scared of you, you know.”

“I don’t go out. And good. A little fear of your boss is a good thing.”

“You act like a machine,” Reno said, dropping onto the corner of Tseng’s desk, swinging his legs. Tseng looked him up and down, his eyes hard and disapproving.

“Get off my desk, Reno.”

“I’m not scared of you,” Reno smiled.

“I’m trying to go home, Reno,” Tseng said, forcing away a yawn.

“I did a little experiment,”Reno confessed, staying right where he was.

Tseng sighed. “What now?”

“I changed out your coffee with decaf. Know what I found out?”

“You _what_?” Tseng growled.

“You’re just human. You get tired. You fall asleep at your desk until you realize what you’ve done. But you don’t take a break. You don’t admit that you’re just human, that you need sleep.You continue on, that picture perfect mask in place. But I see it in your eyes. See, when you’re that tired? You slip. You show that you’re scared, that you doubt, that you think you’re not worthy. Worth praise. You show that you’re just a broken man. Maybe no one else noticed, but I was the one who did it to you.”

“Reno. Tomorrow, I want my coffee _replaced_ and I want whatever this is to end. Right now. I’m not amused by whatever this is.”

“You had big shoes to fill,” Reno said, moving closer.

“How would you know?”

“Oh, I read about Veld. He was charming, lethal, tireless, twice your age? He was like a father to you, too. His Turks would follow him to the ends of Gaia if he asked, right? You wonder if you’re doing a good job. If your Turks would do the same. Tireless? Well, that depends on what coffee you drink, right? On if you have the gumption. You try. Lethal? Oh, certainly. No one doubts your capability in the field. Charming? Not in the least. _Everyone_ agrees you’ve probably never even been in a relationship. You’re married to your work. Would we follow you to end of Gaia if you asked? Maybe not. You hide behind Rufus. If you said _Rufus_ requested it? Maybe.”

“Shut up,” Tseng hissed.

“Why? It’s the truth. Look, me? I think you’re a good Director. You’re no Veld, but that’s _okay_. You need to stop working under his shadow and be your _own_ type of Director.If you keep comparing yourself to someone else who isn’t anything like you, you’re going to crack one day. Just my two cents. And, for what it’s worth, not only am I not scared of you, I care about you.”

“You…what?”

“Yeah, Boss Man. If I didn’t care, why would I bother with switching your coffee? I thought you’d go home and go to sleep like a normal person would when they’re that tired. I didn’t think you’d fight past it. I can only imagine what you thought.

“I thought…I was getting too old for what I was doing.”

“Nah. But I hope now you’ll learn the lesson. You need to sleep. You need to eat something sometimes, because coffee _isn’t_ food. You need to take care of yourself before you take care of anyone else. Again, my two cents. You can take it or leave it. But you’re a good Director. If you want to be a _great_ Director, you’ll listen to me. I may just be your Vice, but I know a thing or two about leading.”

Tseng stared at the paper before him. He nodded. He looked up into Reno’s sky blue eyes, searching them. What was he looking for?

“And, you know,” Reno said, moving even closer, pushing the paper aside and climbing into Tseng’s lap, “I want to be the one that shows you can have someone and still do your job. You can have it all.”


End file.
